JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (August 31, 2007) - The ETSU women's soccer team kicked off their season Friday afternoon, battling to a 1-1 double overtime tie against defending Sun Belt champion Middle Tennessee State at Summers Taylor Stadium. The Bucs are 0-0-1 overall while the Blue Raiders move to 0-0-1.

During the first half, the Bucs and Blue Raiders battled for the early lead while MTSU got off seven shots and ETSU fired off five but remained at a 0-0 deadlock going into halftime.

ETSU opened up their attack early in the second period as sophomore Jordan Monty (Mesquite, Texas) found the back of the net to give the Bucs the 1-0 advantage just over two minutes into the half.

However, with 10 minutes remaining in regulation, the Blue Raiders were able to even the score when Kala Morgan scored on a pass from Holly Grogan to force the match into overtime.

In the first overtime, the Buccaneer defense was able to shut down the Blue Raider attack making outshooting them 3-0 to send the match into a second overtime.

The Buc defense continued to hold as they refused to allow a shot by MTSU but were unable to score as the deadlock continued through the second overtime to end the Bucs first match of the season in a 1-1 tie.

Monty led the team in shots with six, while newcomer Rachel Van Horn (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) contributed five. Junior goalkeeper Erin Bilyeu (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) recorded seven saves on the night.

"We are a very young team and our game is still developing. There were moments of greatness and we fought hard and never gave up. I'm very proud of the effort that the ladies put out tonight," said head coach Heather Henson.

The Bucs will hit the road for their next match against SEC opponent South Carolina on Monday, September 3. The Labor Day kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Follow all ETSU women's soccer action by visiting www.ETSUBucs.com.